Origin Broadband - any good

cmcgeeney wrote: »

Joined Origin online in January via topcashback, paid a year upfront for 1 year unlimited ASDL service. Origin did not initiate the transfer process until the 14 days cooling off period had expired. It then was another 14 days after the transfer process started, before service started (basically a month from I ordered). Topcashback originally did not track ... but came good in the end.

On the day the service was to start, the old provider was switched off at about 0530 and while the telephone service started straight away, the broadband service did not start to 2200, so the majority of the day without broadband.

This month I’ve had £8.21 taken from my bank account – absolutely no idea why. It’s not in respect of telephone calls as the only calls made have been to their Freephone support number. The online portal is poor – rather than a bill showing a debit of £8.21 it shows a credit of £19.77 … so no idea how their billing works – maybe I should make a claim under the direct debit guarantee as there has been no notice of this amount being deducted. The customer portal does not give any live call charges or anything like that … it’s very basic.

Disconnections – yeah, I’ve had random drop outs and disconnections, not major, but inconvenient all the same. The router is plugged directly into the test socket and I’ve tried a few microfilters, but still get random short disconnections from time to time. I did enquire about changing the connection to fibre, however I don’t really want to enter a new 12 month contract. BT’s fibre offers are much cheaper (and better sppeds) anyway – I’ll just stick it out until the time comes to change again, as I can live with it.

Support – Telephoning technical support – expect to wait at least an hour before talking to someone. The staff are polite … but the Interactive Voice Response system needs toning down, it’s very in your face.

Not a total nightmare … but improvements need to be made.

DRJM wrote: »

I am absolutely appalled by the inept, amateurish, non-existant "service" provided by Origin Broadband, and were I not the one experiencing their "service" I wouldn't actually believe it.

I switched from Talktalk to Origin at the end of March and was informed my internet connection would be up and running on 04/04/2017; needless to say this did not happen. I called and after being on hold for over 1 hour was assured the service would be fully connected the following day. I explained to the individual this was imperative as I work online from home, so without any internet access I would be unable to work, and therefore miss out on my wages.

After waiting another day, and still no internet connection I called back, and after spending over 2 hours
on the telephone, mostly on hold, I spoke to a representative (and again explained the seriousness of my predicament) who assured me he would take personal ownership of my issue and get back to me before he finished that day, or before 9am the following morning when I was due to start work. He did neither.

I again called back the following morning, and after the now customary 1 hour plus on hold, spoke to another representative (again explaining my position, and that I had now missed numerous work shifts), who apologized for the fact her colleague had failed to call me back as promised. She assured me she would seek a resolution for me and get back to me by the end of the working day. Again, I heard nothing.

Due to no customer service being available over the telephone at the weekend I called back first thing on Monday morning, and now, completely exasperated at the total lack of response from Origin/missed work shifts/lost wages/pressure from my employer, I insisted the issue be escalated and I be able to speak to someone in a managerial position. To my amazement I was informed not one individual in a position higher that a Customer Service adviser was available, either via telephone, email or in writing, as they were all, every single one, "off on training all day". At this point I insisted my case be flagged as high priority and that a manager call me as soon as possible, however the response I received left me flabbergasted; I was informed they couldn't guarantee anybody would get back to me, and that my internet connection would now not be up and running until the 27/04/2017! When I repeatedly queried why this was the case, and why could I not be connected as a matter of urgency, I was repeatedly told I would not be receiving a answer!

Since this point I have sent emails to the Origin complaints department, sent messages via Facebook and sent tweets to Origin's Twitter account (all from family members home who kindly allowed me to use their internet)... as yet I have received literally no response at all, via any platform. I have asked for the business addresses of Mr Jay Samways, (who I believe is the Sales and Customer Service Team Leader) and Mr Oliver Bryssau (who I am led to believe is the Managing Director), so that I may write to them in order to get some adequate resolution. I have received neither.

As of today I have missed approximately 40 hours of shifts with my employer, and will therefore receive no wages; this not only leaves my job in a precarious position, it also means I will not be able to pay my rent and lead to me falling into arrears with my landlord.

I will be seeking full refund of the missed wages from Origin if/when I ever hear back from them, and I have contacted the Ombudsmen, who unfortunately can not take any action until 8 weeks have passed. I would advise anybody considering signing a contract with Origin to avoid them like the plague, as they are quite literally the worst company I have ever had to misfortune to come into contact with.

Origin Broadband = a disgrace!